1. Technical Field of the Invention
The preferred embodiment relates generally to a ball hopper and method of use thereof, and more specifically to a ball hopper comprising a frame, a divider, a plurality of elastic members and a seat, wherein the divider separates the frame into a lower compartment and an upper compartment, and wherein the divider forces collected balls towards a first end of the ball hopper for easy removal from the lower compartment.
2. Description of Related Art
There are various types of ball collectors or ball hoppers in existence. One such discloses a device for picking up spherical material utilizing several elastic bodies stretched on a frame body section to form an opening a little smaller than the outline of the spherical material, such as a ball, so that when pressed against the elastic bodies, the spherical material expands the elastic bodies to loosely allow passage of the spherical material through the opening into the frame body. However, this device is limited in the size of spherical objects it is able to retrieve due to the limited natural expansion of the elastic bodies and the lack of readily stretchable adjustable elastic members. Accordingly, it would not be suitable for picking up both ping pong balls and basketballs.
Another device discloses a frame for picking up table tennis balls with a grid of parallel elastic cords stretched across the frame which is fitted with a handle; however, the elastic cords are not readily adjustable and, thus, the device cannot truly accommodate substantially different size balls.
Yet another device discloses an apparatus to assist in retrieving balls and storing balls, such as tennis balls. The apparatus comprises a bottom frame through which a ball may pass upwardly when the bottom frame is positioned over the ball and pressed firmly to the ground, wherein the frame prevents the ball passing downwardly and out of the frame. The ball is retained by a rail, wherein the rail moves through springs attached to the frame; however, the device lacks a readily adjustable member to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Still another device discloses an apparatus for picking up balls, especially tennis balls, with a ball collection basket which has a ball inlet device in its base. The ball inlet device possesses longitudinal rods extending between two opposing lateral walls of the ball collection basket and arranged at least approximately parallel to each other and at a distance from each other and/or from the lateral walls lying at least approximately parallel thereto, this distance being slightly less than the diameter of a ball to be received. Collection or release frames, which are pivotable about a horizontal axis, are attached to the ball collection basket. The longitudinal parts are resilient; however, the device lacks readily adjustable longitudinal rods to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Another device discloses a device for retrieving table tennis or golf balls which comprises a frame with rectangular, polygonal or circular ends, between which are stretched elastic cords; however, the device lacks readily adjustable elastic cords to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Yet another device discloses a ball collector for picking up balls of different diameters. Springs or some other elastic material are stretched between two discs, as near as possible to the outside edge in such a fashion that the elastic material runs parallel to each other but are not horizontal to the ground, instead running from one disc to the other at a given angle. Additionally, a bracket with a long handle is fixed above the whole assembly to the outsides of the discs, which also function as wheels, so that the whole thing can be pushed along. When the device rolls over a ball, the springs or similar will move apart somewhat as they are pushed up and will cause the ball to end up in the reservoir on the inside. However, the device lacks readily adjustable springs or some other elastic material to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Still another device discloses an apparatus for picking up, transporting and storing balls which comprises two opposing planes separated by tension elements which when said tension elements are forced over a solid, hollow or pressurized sphere, the sphere simultaneously stretches the tension elements and/or compresses the sphere sufficiently to permit the sphere entry between the planes. Once the sphere is between the planes it is kept in place by the forces created by the stretched tension trying to regain their original unstretched configuration and the pinched sphere trying to regain its original configuration by trying to expand out.
Another device discloses a ball retrieval and storage device for retrieving balls of at least two different sizes comprising a wheeled container with rotatably attached handled. The container is rollingly supported by two wheels on an axle, and includes a removable rack which, when in place, covers the container to ensure the contents remain within the container. When the removable rack is placed beneath the container, the entire device is elevated to prevent needless bending and stooping by the user. The device further comprises a retrieval opening which includes a fixed member and a movable member to provide variable spacing between the fixed member and the movable member depending on the size ball to be retrieved. The device is placed near a ball to be retrieved, tilted backward onto its wheels, rolled forward such that the ball is beneath the opening, then returned to its upright position in order to capture a ball. The angular movement of the movable member in a direction generally upwardly and away from the fixed member allows for differing sized balls to be retrieved and stored. A resilient member retracts the movable member back to its original position following capturing of a ball. While such a device allows a user to pick up different size balls, it fails to also be utilized as a seat while a user is distributing balls
Yet another device discloses a container for the delivery, transportation, dispensing and collection of plastic balls, which container is substantially characterized by the removal of the base, except for an inward-facing flanged edge and the arrangement of longitudinally-orientated, spaced, and calibrated sprung steel bars. The balls are pushed in through the free gaps between the bars and their emergence at the bottom is blocked. Moreover, folding handles are provided which are effective either upwards as a carrying facility or collection position or downwards in the folded-down position as supporting feet. However, the device lacks the ability to be utilized as a seat for a user during resting periods.
Still another device discloses a ball retrieving and storage device which includes a container having an elongated handle extending above it, and one or more movable gate members in the bottom of the container. Balls are retrieved from the ground by placing the bottom of the container over the balls and exerting a downward force on the handle to force the balls up against the bottom of the movable gate member which opens the gate and provides an enlarged opening in the bottom of the container for allowing each ball to pass into the container. Continued downward movement causes the moving gate member to engage stop bars on opposite sides of the container for limiting further vertical movement of the gate sufficiently to allow the equator of each ball to pass through the enlarged opening and then allow the gate to automatically drop to a closed position to retain balls in the container. A cylindrical-shaped cage also is disclosed which provides a rotary type ball retriever adapted to be rolled on the ground to engage balls which automatically open gate members spaced around the outer circumference of the cage. However, such a device requires a user to retrieve balls from the bottom of the ball collecting device, thereby causing the user to repetitively bend over and stress his/her back when obtaining a ball.
Another device discloses a ball retrieving and storage cart which generally comprises a wheeled carriage that rollingly supports a basket in a ball retrieving position. In an exemplary embodiment, the basket has a front end and a rear end and includes a bottom wall having two side members oriented front to rear and having a normal position spaced apart less than the ball diameter and defining a slotted aperture for entrance of a ball into the basket. In the ball retrieval position, at least one of the side members is a slanted member having a front end higher from the ground than a ball radius and a rear end lower to the ground than the ball radius. At least one of the side members is a deflectable member and is biased to the normal position but is sideways deflectable such that a ball on the ground entering the aperture sideways deflects the deflectable member sufficiently for the ball to pass into the basket. The wheels may define a rolling plane. The carriage includes a vertical frame member terminating in a push handle and the vertical frame member includes brackets for attaching a moveable basket at a serving position that is higher than the ball retrieving position. However, such a device cannot also be utilized as a seat while a user is distributing balls.
Yet another device discloses a ball retrieval and storage device which includes a container having a hollow interior for storing a substantial number of tennis balls. At least a portion of the container bottom is formed by one or more movable rod members which are movable to allow the balls to enter through the bottom of the container. A user can retrieve a ball lying on the ground by forcing the bottom of the container down over the top of the ball. The ball engages the movable rod member and moves it slightly upwardly which allows the ball to enter the container as the container is progressively forced down over the top of the ball compressing the ball. The movable rod members are formed of a material having an elastic memory such that for use over time, the movable rod members will not permanently deform so as to decrease the efficacy of the ball retrieval and storage device. However, a user must retrieve balls from the bottom of the device, thereby causing the user to repetitively bend over.
Still another device discloses a ball retrieving and storage device including a storage container having a pair of handles hingedly fixed thereto which may be folded to a downwardly extending position supporting the container on a playing surface. The retrieving device includes a plurality of parallel rods extending across the bottom of the container. The rods are spaced apart from one another a distance greater than the diameter of the balls to be retrieved and being slightly resilient in a direction perpendicular thereto. Each of the rods has journaled thereon a hollow, cylindrical tubular roller to provide for a rotating movement, wherein the distance between inside surfaces of adjacent parallel rollers is slightly less than the diameter of a used tennis ball. The transverse resilience of the rods and the rotating motion of the rollers permit a ball to be retrieved by forcing the bottom of the container down over the ball. When folded upwardly the handles of the container enable an operator to both carry and retrieve balls from a playing surface without bending or stooping. When a substantial number of balls are held within the container, the handles may be folded into a downwardly extending position to support the container at a convenient height for the removal of balls. While such a device collect balls, it fails to be utilized as a seat for the user.
Another device discloses a ball-picking device which is utilized to pick up a ball on a ground surface, and includes a basket frame unit which confines a ball receiving space and which has a ground contacting side formed with a plurality of ball-extension gaps that are in spatial communication with the ball receiving space. Each of the ball-extension gaps is confined by a pair of deformable, yet not elastic, rod units, and is slightly narrower than a diameter of the ball such that when the ground contacting side of the basket frame unit is moved toward the ground surface to register the ball with one of the ball-extension gaps, the deformable rod units that define a respective ball-extension gap will be pushed apart and will be deformed by the ball so as to enlarge the respective ball-extension gap and permit extension of the ball into the ball receiving space. However, the device lacks readily adjustable deformable rod units to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Yet another device discloses a sports ball retrieval and storage device which includes a receptacle, a pair of support members and a lid. The receptacle is in the form of a molded one-piece body made of substantially rigid material and having a plurality of side walls and a bottom grate integrally connected together so as to define an open top and an interior chamber of the receptacle. The side walls and bottom grate are formed of respective upper and lower annular perimeter members and laterally spaced-apart elongated members extending between and integrally connected at opposite ends with opposite portions of the upper and lower annular perimeter members. The side walls converge toward one another from the open top to the bottom grate of the receptacle and thereby provide the molded one-piece body of the receptacle with a tapered configuration permitting receptacles of multiple devices to nest with one another. The elongated members of the bottom grate are spaced apart at a distance slightly less than the diameter of a tennis ball so as to define at least one opening therebetween through which a compressed tennis ball can be forced into the interior chamber. The support members are pivotally mounted to the receptacle and convertible relative thereto between stand and handle positions. The lid is mounted to the receptacle for opening and closing the open top thereof. However, such a device requires a user to obtain balls from the bottom of the device, thereby causing stress to a user's back.
Still another device discloses a tennis ball collector with drum cage, wherein the drum's peripheral surface has axially-parallel bars between its end flanges which are in the form of discs or tires. The U-shaped handle has sides each of which has an angled section which, together with the middle of the U-shaped handle, forms a U-shaped stand. Wheels are attached to the angled parts which have a profiled grip surface. However, the device lacks readily axially-parallel bars to accommodate substantially different size balls.
Another device discloses a collapsible ball retriever and storage unit which is in the form of a receptacle composed of a plurality of side grills pivotally hinged one to the next, and a top gate and a bottom grate being pivotally hinged to respective ones of the side grills. The side grills are pivotable relative to one another to convert them between erected and collapsed positions, whereas the top gate and bottom grate are pivotable relative to the side grills to convert the top gate and bottom grate between closed and retracted opened positions. The gate and grate are latchable to others of the side grills disposed opposite to the ones thereof to which the gate and grate are respectively hinged. The bottom grate is adapted to rigidly retain the side grills in their erected position when the bottom grate is disposed in the closed position. Further, the bottom grate has members defining ball passages therethrough which adapts the receptacle for retrieving and storing balls when the side grills are in the erected position and the bottom grate is in the closed However, the device does not provide a seat for a user to sit on while distributing balls from the device.
Yet another device discloses a tennis ball retriever includes a cylindrical collection drum having circular cylinder bases spaced from one another. The cylindrical collection drum has openings formed in a peripheral cylinder region such that balls can be pushed therethrough. The circular cylinder bases have sleeves extending along the cylinder axis. A removable handle includes two arms extending away from the cylinder axis. The arms have stub axles at their ends such that the stub axles extend along the cylinder axis and are rotatably journaled in the sleeves. The removable handle is resiliently deformable for moving the stub axles away from the sleeves so that the cylindrical collection drum can be removed from the handle. A ball retrieving and storing system is also provided. The ball retrieving and storing system includes at least two cylindrical collection drums and a removable handle. However, such a device does not provide a user with a seat to sit on during resting periods.
Still another device discloses a tennis ball retriever and storage unit includes a ball retrieving receptacle supported by spring biased pivoting wheel assemblies for rolling movement between locations for retrieving used tennis balls and downwardly movement from a normal upper transport position overlying a tennis ball to a lower position for retrieving the tennis ball between spaced rigid bars in the base of the receptacle. However, such a device requires a user to retrieve balls from the bottom of the ball collecting device.
Yet another device teaches a ball collecting device comprising a plurality of elastic members secured to a lower portion of a frame. The elastic members allow the ball collecting apparatus to pick up spherical objects of different sizes. The elastic members separate and allow the ball to enter the ball collecting apparatus, and then the elastic members retract to their original position to keep the balls from falling back out. However, such a device does not force balls toward the top of the ball device for easy removal.
Nonetheless, due to the constraints of current devices for picking up balls, most devices either fail to pick up different types and shapes of spherical objects, fail to also be utilized as a seat during resting periods or while a user is distributing balls, or require a user to retrieve balls from the bottom of the ball collecting device, thereby causing the user to repetitively bend over and stress his/her back when obtaining a ball when the user is in either in a sitting or standing position.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for an apparatus that allows a user to pick up, transport, and store balls of different diameter, while also allowing a user to distribute balls from the apparatus without requiring the user to retrieve collected balls from the bottom of the apparatus.